The Commanders are heading into camp with a lot of fresh paint on the roster and on the coaching staff, but the bigger question hanging over this season is simple: what actually counts as success in 2026?
Tuesday’s full-squad report brings a wave of change with it. Washington has new offensive and defensive coordinators, a rebuilt defensive front and linebacker group, new rushers and receivers, and a different kind of voice in the locker room thanks to some new player leadership. On paper, it’s a younger, faster, more talented team than the 2025 version.
That 2025 team finished 5-12, a steep fall from the Commanders’ NFC title game run the year before. Injuries played a major role in the collapse, along with other factors that dragged the season off course.
Even with the upgrades, though, Washington is still operating in a difficult division and still has uncertainty at a few key spots. That’s why the range of outside expectations is wide.
Some see the Commanders getting back to the NFC playoffs as a wild-card team. Others think they’ll miss the postseason but still take a meaningful step forward, winning three or four more games than they did a year ago.
So what should the standard be? Is a successful season about getting back into the playoffs, even if it’s just as a wild card?
Is it about progress in the areas that matter most, or the growth of Adam Peters’ draft picks? Or does the answer come down to the final record, plain and simple?
In Other News...
Trey Amos Just Put Washington's Biggest Secondary Fear Back In Play
The Commanders spent much of the offseason trying to settle the cornerback picture, and Trey Amos was supposed to be part of the answer after arriving as a 2025 second-round pick. Instead, his rookie year ended with him on the physically unable to perform list, leaving Washington to lean on other options while the staff keeps a close eye on how his rehab is coming along.
Amos has been making progress, but the bigger question for Washington is when progress turns into football readiness. The team has been careful not to rush the process, which matters because the secondary is already being shaped around other corners while Amos works back into the mix, and his timeline remains one of the more important moving parts in camp. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Just Got Linked To A Receiver Fans Know Too Well
Stefon Diggs is back in the mix as a possible fit for the Commanders, and the idea has some obvious appeal for a team that could always use more proven help at receiver. The veteran wideout is still a free agent, but reports have tied him to Washington as one of several teams in the hunt, with the Chiefs, Falcons and Rams also mentioned as possible landing spots.
Diggs has spent much of his career moving through high-profile situations, from trades to extensions to another fresh start after his most recent stop in New England. A one-year deal has been floated as the kind of arrangement that could make sense for a player at this stage, but for Washington the bigger question is whether a hometown connection turns into something more concrete. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Aiyuk Debate Just Got Much Tougher For Commanders Fans
The Brandon Aiyuk chatter that once had Commanders fans wondering about a potential swing for the former 49ers receiver is looking a lot less lively now. Washington has been loosely tied to the idea in the background, but there has been no official movement, and general manager Adam Peters has not publicly tipped his hand one way or the other.
Aiyuks stock as a trade target has only gotten murkier after his recent social media activity, which has done little to help the case for a fresh start elsewhere. For Commanders fans, the bigger issue is that the speculation is fading without any real resolution, leaving the teams receiver outlook to be sorted out somewhere other than on the rumor mill. [Read more 🡒]